Inglewood businesses blame bad weather for slow sales

Slumping sales follow big losses from June flood

Riva Mackie, who owns Riva's Eco Store, says she is having trouble paying rent for her Inglewood business after losing inventory in last year's flood and a harsh winter that has kept away shoppers. (CBC)

Businesses in Inglewood, including Riva's Eco Store, say this winter has been hard on them as fewer people are out shopping and walking around. (Google Maps)

Many businesses are still recovering from the big hit they took after June's flood and now say nasty winter weather has kept people from walking and shopping as they usually would.

"Having a much slower time in Inglewood over the last six months, almost eight months I guess. It just has been quite a whammy for us," said Riva Mackie, who owns Riva's Eco Store on Ninth Avenue S.E.

She and her husband have been running the store for almost seven years, but they are debating whether to walk away after losing more than $100,000 in inventory in last year's flood and seeing a drop of 30 per cent in sales this winter.

"We're trying to think about how to restructure and pull it together because we really don't want to go away," said Mackie, adding they are having trouble paying rent.

'It's too cold to walk'

Other Inglewood business owners also say they are struggling this winter. Charmaine Sanderson, who runs a consignment store, says this has been the worse winter she has seen for sales.

"Nobody is coming down to Inglewood, there's nobody walking," she said. "It's too cold to walk so we haven't had anyone come into the store."

Inglewood businesses aren't the only ones suffering because of the cold.

The Canadian Federation of Independent Business​ (CFIB) says it's hearing from stores all over the city that are barely holding on.

"Small businesses are really hit hard when the weather is in this deep-freeze mode," said CFIB spokesperson Amber Ruddy.